Skip to content

Annie King manages to crack final roster for Saskatchewan U16 provincial girls hockey team

There are several Yellowknife minor hockey players who have done good in the south.

One of them has now taken the leap to making a provincial squad and according to one of her former coaches, there was no doubt that she would.

Daniel Coulombe/Arctic Winter Games photo
Annie King, right, seen during the 2016 Arctic Winter Games, has made Team Saskatchewan's U16 girls team after getting the news on Aug. 14.

Annie King is now a member of Saskatchewan's provincial U16 girls team after making the final cut earlier this month. She was given the news on Aug. 14 and it was a wait she's happy is now over with.

“It just took so long and I wanted to know,” she said. “The anxiety builds up and there's the what if's and you just want to know either way.”

The long road to the big club for King began last December with the opening camp. From there, 80 players were chosen to attend the next camp, which was a tournament-style camp with the players divided into four teams of 20. Those 80 were cut in half to 40 for the final camp in July and from that, the coaching staff chose the final 20 that would wear the province's colours.

“The first camp was big so there wasn't a lot of toughness,” said King. “The last camp, though, was tough. Long, long days.”

Even with the pressure of the camps, there was no doubt in King's mind that she wasn't among the best.

“I was confident the whole way through,” she said. “I had a good idea where I stood from the previous camps and I had a good feeling.”

One person who wasn't shocked about King making the team was Dan Schofield, who has worked with her as part of the Polar United Club program when she lived in Yellowknife.

He said King has worked herself to becoming a really good player.

“She is as good as any girl in her age bracket,” he said. “She's an extremely hard worker and worked herself onto the team. She's worked on her athleticism and her skill development and just has such a great work ethic.”

King is the latest young hockey player from the city who has gone on to make their mark down south. Other players such as Jack Works, Connor Fleming, Austin Daniels, Liam Tereposky, Ethan Anstey and Sam Schofield are all players who came through the Polar United Club and have made an impact.

“All of those players, along with Annie, have worked hard to get to that point in their careers,” said Dan Schofield. “They have the passion, they have the determination to be good. They all attended the camps and clinics and tournaments that the club had and all of them worked to be good.”

As for King, the first chance she'll have to play with her provincial team will be in September in a U18 AAA tournament in Regina, a chance to see what that level is all about. She plans on trying out for the U18 girls team in Saskatchewan after her time with the U16 team is up.

“I'm still with my club team at Notre Dame (in Saskatchewan) so I'll play with them after the tournament,” she said. “I'm just excited to get the chance to play with the team and get a taste of a high level of hockey.”